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TTP Concepts is a leading wholesaler in the Benelux region, specializing in home and garden products.
They manage and share thousands of SKUs, but behind their successful operation, they faced a challenge many growing wholesalers will recognize: formatting product information to meet industry standards and sharing it with partners was slow, error-prone, and hard to keep up with.
We sat down with Sjoerd van der Burg, Application Manager at TTP Concepts, to learn how partnering with both Plytix and Qmica helped them speed up their entire data management process and comply with GS1 standards.
"We had thousands of products, but getting that information to our retail partners in a format they could actually use was becoming a nightmare," Sjoerd told us. "Different partners had different requirements, and many demanded that our data comply with GS1 standards for seamless integration with their systems."
The process of manually formatting product data to meet these standards was not only time-consuming but also often led to mistakes. "We'd spend hours trying to format our data correctly, checking and double-checking that everything aligned with GS1 requirements," Sjoerd explained. "Even then, we weren't always confident we got it right."
TTP Concepts knew they needed a better system: one that could easily manage their product information while also making sure it complied with the industry standards their partners required.
"We realized we needed two things: a solid foundation for managing our product data, and a way to make that data speak the same language as our partners' systems," Sjoerd said.
TTP Concepts implemented Plytix as their Product Information Management system to centralize and organize their product data. They also partnered with Qmica, a specialist in data standardization and GS1 compliance, to make sure their data could be easily integrated into partner systems.
"Plytix gave us that central source of truth we desperately needed," Sjoerd explained. "All our product information—descriptions, images, specifications—everything lives in one place now. But what made this solution really powerful was how easily Plytix connected with Qmica."
The process was straightforward:
Data Foundation with Plytix: TTP Concepts centralized all their product information in Plytix, creating a single source of truth for their entire product catalog.
Data Analysis and Mapping: Working with Qmica, they analyzed their existing product data to identify inconsistencies and created mappings to align with GS1 standards.
Direct Integration: Plytix's flexible export capabilities made connecting with Qmica's platform quick and efficient.
Data Standardization: Within Qmica, TTP Concepts normalized their product data for consistency and compliance with industry standards.
Distribution to Partners: Qmica's advanced publishing capabilities allowed them to distribute compliant data to the GDSN network and specific retailers automatically.
The transformation was immediate and significant.
"Now, instead of spending hours manually formatting data and worrying about compliance, we just update our information in Plytix, and Qmica handles the standardization automatically," Sjoerd told us. "It's not just about saving time—though we've saved plenty of that—it's about confidence. We know the data we're sending to partners is accurate and compliant."
The partnership approach solved multiple challenges at once. Plytix provided the organizational foundation TTP Concepts needed, while Qmica made sure that the strong foundation could communicate effectively with the outside world.
"Our retail partners are happier because they receive data in exactly the format they need, when they need it," Sjoerd explained. "And we've opened doors to new partnerships because we can now easily meet the data requirements that used to be roadblocks."
"We evaluated several solutions, but what convinced us was how well Plytix and Qmica worked together," Sjoerd said. "Plytix gave us the robust PIM system we needed, and Qmica's expertise in data standardization meant we didn't have to become GS1 experts ourselves."
The integration between the two platforms was crucial. "Plytix's flexible export capabilities made the connection with Qmica incredibly smooth. We didn't have to worry about complex technical implementations or data transfer issues."
"The cooperation with Qmica was a game-changer for us," Sjoerd reflected. "It not only saved us time and resources but also ensured that our product data complied with the GS1 market standard. The seamless connection with Plytix PIM made the process incredibly efficient."
"If you're a wholesaler or distributor dealing with complex data requirements from partners, don't try to solve everything with one solution. Sometimes the best approach is finding partners who specialize in what you need and make sure they work well together."